The very first step to jumpstart your weight loss and it’s not what you think.

Okay, are you ready to kick off your weight loss? And here’s the cherry on top…we are not going to talk about food or exercise. Don’t get me wrong, both are wonderful quality gifts when it comes to your self-care, but that’s for later.

If you’re like me and the amazing women that I work with, then you’ve been offered a lot of bags of tricks when it comes to losing weight. There’s a lot of promises, rules to adhere to, and head drama created as you get further and further away from trusting yourself and your body. Then thoughts like “I don’t know what to do or whatever I’m doing must be wrong when it comes to losing my extra weight” take over and you’re feeling like a failure for not getting this part of your life under control.

You’re not alone! Guess what? I felt like that before for so long. Just know it’s not personal, this is just the diet’s industries way of doing their job so that you’ll constantly need them. It’s a 56 billion dollar industry for a reason. And if you think about it, if it really worked, then you would only need one and be done with it.

So in the spirit of ending dieting since it hasn’t worked for you, let’s put away the word diet and let it die! What we are left with is creating a lifestyle that will suit you and your individual needs. So to kick off your weight loss…let’s jump into it.

The very first step in your weight loss jumpstart is: EAT WHEN PHYSICALLY HUNGRY.

“DUH!” you’re thinking to yourself. Simple right? Yet not always easy to do or we don’t realize how often we “think” we are hungry and we are not.

Here’s what I used to do and I thought I was “healthy” and taking care of myself. Check and see if you also eat for any of these reasons even though you are not hungry. If so, then you’re in the right company and know that it’s normal as there is so much conflicting information that can leave your head spinning.

It’s morning time, I “should” eat breakfast because it gets my metabolism going.

I’m about to workout, I “should” eat something before I workout to fuel my workout.

I just worked out, I “should” eat something after because I read it’s good for me to eat after.

I need to eat every 2 hours to keep my sugar levels up and not let them drop or I’ll be ravenous.

It’s noon, I’m going to lunch because it’s 12.

Those brownies I just passed look delicious, I’ll go back and get one.

I just saw a commercial for Chipotle. I think I’ll get a snack now because all of a sudden “I’m hungry”

It’s dinner time, I need to eat with my kids now even though I’m not hungry.

Notice the examples above. They are triggered by something external, that then leads you to eat. Whether following a clock, seeing food and then wanting it whereas you weren’t even hungry before, or following diet rules about different scenarios where you should eat like every 2 hours for example.

Bottom line: every time you eat when you are not physically hungry but because you are motivated by following something on the outside, you will store the food as extra energy on your body. It doesn’t matter whether you label it as “healthy” food, your body if not hungry cannot use it and will store it away.

Solution: Ask yourself this single question each time when you are considering to eat “Am I really physically hungry right now?” And if you are truly hungry then eat but if not, wait. Think of waiting for your real physical hunger as building your mental muscle by holding off, and knowing the food will be there for you when you are hungry. If the answer is “I don’t know” then it’s kind of like being in love, if you don’t know, you’re probably not.

Here are some physical hunger signs. Start noticing how physical hunger appears for you and add it to this list.

Physical hunger comes on gradually

Different foods can satisfy it

It usually starts in the stomach feeling empty and communicating the message to your brain that you are hungry

You may feel a light-headedness and low energy

You may have a hard time concentrating and start feeling irritable (Hangry)

What’s beautiful about living in today’s world is that here in the U.S. there’s plenty of food. Your primitive brain in the past would urge you to eat immediately if it saw food because it didn’t know when you would eat again. Could have been days thousands of years ago. But today, reassure yourself that there’s plenty of food and you’ll honor your body by fueling it when it really is physically hungry.

Promise yourself to not just read this but to transform your knowledge into action. That’s when the magic happens! When you start to check in with your body on a consistent basis and start honoring what answers your body gives you. Remember you’re not alone. I would love to hear from you about what you think and how you are doing with the information after you start implementing.